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As per the above- which stuff (preferably readily available in the UK please) do you lot use to protect your models?

My personal preference is two thin coats of Vallejo gloss and then a top coat of satin... both applied with an airbrush. Many like matt but since I mostly do space marines I have decided satin is more fitting for the armour.

 granander wrote:
My personal preference is two thin coats of Vallejo gloss and then a top coat of satin... both applied with an airbrush. Many like matt but since I mostly do space marines I have decided satin is more fitting for the armour.

I don't have an airbrush lol

Well, you asked what we use As for rattlecans I have no direct experience beside the fact that I never will use the GW crud anymore...

I've had good experience with Halfords Lacquer ~ comes in gloss, matte and satin.
Normaly I do gloss for protection and then correct the shine with matte.
It is very durable, I'd expect problems stripping it back off in future if thats something you might want to do. (solvents that will do it, will probably melt your figure)

Yeah the FLGS owner I spoke to today said even if the conditions are absolutely spot on, the results are varied from OK to OMG awful lol

I tend to use brush on varnishes from "golden" paints. They are available here in the states, and. I would assume could at least be ordered online. I am very happy with how my models come out. It does take some time and concentration though.

It can be cut with water though. I tend to use: varnish/water
First coat gloss 50/50
Second coat gloss 70/30
Third coat matte 50/50
Fourth coat matte 70/30
Final touch up coat 90/10
The final coat is mostly for the areas that I tend to pick the model up from. Or where it hits if the model falls over.

Humbrol satin spray looks about right on power armour, I reckon.

I generally want my models dead flat, so any gloss coats are followed up by Testors Dullcote, if I'm not using the airbrush. Of the aerosol varnishes, it's the best that's readily available. I'd also trust just about anything from Gunze-Sangyo (all the Mr. Hobby/Mr. Color stuff), but I'd expect to pay a premium for a Japanese import (in a pressurized can, no less) that doesn't have the global market penetration of a big company like Tamiya.

In terms of 'bang for your buck,' your best bet is to head to the local hardware/auto store (Halfords) and grab a can of generic matte or satin varnish. You'll need to test it, first, but many of them are perfectly serviceable and don't come with the sometimes quite steep markup of niche-marketed hobby products.

One we've had best results with is Vallejo Matt Acrylic (spray can) you can get it on Amazon UK with freepost.
Follow the shaking instructions to the letter, and don't spray too soon after finishing painting, and it won't see you wrong.

Testors is also good, but harder to get in great quantities here.

Army Painter always served me well, but my friends have had mixed results.

I just varnished my newly painted Tau army a couple of days ago, with Army Painter 'Anti-Shine Matt Varnish'.

They came out great. I really recommend the stuff.

But when trying any new paint, or varnish, its always best to do a test model, to see if you like the results.